NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
June 1879 Upper North Island High Winds ( 1879-06-04 )
High winds and seas caused damage in Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel. One man drowned in the harbour at Thames.
North Island
Flooding
at
North Island
Duration: 3 days - From the 4th till the 6th of June.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Marsden Point
The gale and high tide on the night of the 6th washed away another slice of Marsden Point.
A storeroom, containing goods and produce ready for shipment, was completely destroyed.
Auckland
High Wind / Gust
at
Auckland
The gale was felt all along the North and South shores of the harbour.
High Wind / Gust
at
Auckland City
A gale set in shortly after 12am on the 4th and increased steadily until the night of the 5th, when it blew with terrific force. A tremendous gale blew on the 6th.
The gale on the 5th and 6th was one of the most severe easterly gales in port for a considerable time.
Around 6pm on the 6th, a sudden gust of wind took the roof off a bedroom, blowing out the end and a portion of the front, smashing the bedstead, tables and other furniture. No-one was inside at the time.
The wind velocity for the 6th was 829m east.
Maritime / Coastal
There was a very heavy sea in the harbour.
Damage to shipping was insignificant, confined to a "mosquito fleet". At the Railway Wharf three boats were slightly damaged by bumping against the wharf on the afternoon of the 5th,a dn one also broke her boom. The cutter Mana ran into the German man-o'-war Albatross, and left her head gear behind.
One of the Ponsonby Rowing Club's sheds on the western side of Freeman's Bay Point was smashed by the force of the sea during the night. Three club boats outside the shed were also destroyed. Swinnerton's boat shed was gone to pieces.
The yacht Pearl broke from moorings, and a cutter disappeared on the 6th, with no traces found.
There were several narrow escapes from drowning while people were rescuing boats, but no serious injury.
At Niccol's ship yard, the storm smashed in one side of a cutter being repaired and two nearby boats were also damaged.
The tide washed 80 ft (24 m) up the street - the most serious encroachment of the tide yet experienced.
Shipping business was at a standstill all day on the 6th. Several coasting steamers were delayed in arriving.
Heavy Rain
On the night of the 5th the wind was accompanied by very heavy rain.
Auckland recorded 0.475 in (1.2 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 6th.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Cheltenham Beach
At Cobley's beach (Cheltenham Beach), huge banks of land were said to have been bodily shifted.
At Hay's ground, newly-erected fencing on the beach boundary was washed away. The adjoining property had two rows of pine trees completely washed away, and the length of the beach was strewn with timber.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mahurangi
During the 5th and the greater part of the 6th, the district was visited by one of the most severe south-easterly gales ever experienced. From noon on the 5th the gale increased and at night it blew a perfect hurricane. The gale began to lull on the evening of the 6th.
Heavy Rain
On the night fo the 5th the gale was accompanied by very heavy rain.
Maritime / Coastal
On the morning of the 6th the tide rose higher than had been known for many years.
Trees, logs, boats and firewood floated out with the tide.
Landslide
Considerable damage was done along the coast, with heavy landslips everywhere.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Northcote
The North Shore Rowing Club had a boat shed broken up, with half the woodwork washed away. The boats were rescued and dragged up the street to safety.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Stokes Point
At the Sulphur Works at Stoke's Point, some of the earthwork was washed away from the tramway at an exposed part.
High Wind / Gust
at
Waiwera
A terrific gale blew at Waiwera from the evening of the 4th.
Great damage was done to three properties.
The telegraph wire was broken in three places during the night of the 6th.
Maritime / Coastal
No steamer was able to call in for two days.
Waikato
High Wind / Gust
at
Coromandel
A terrific gale commenced to blow in Coromandel from the south-east on the morning of the 5th and continued with slight intermission until later on the 6th.
Immense damage was done to property - houses, ornamental trees and fences all being damaged. Two-thirds of all the neighbourhood fences were down. One of BNZ's large glass windows was blown several feet into a bank. Many iron chimneys were down and the top of a large brick one was carried away. Some large pines were uprooted.
Many sheds and outbuildings were wrecked and several small houses were destroyed. Part of the front of the Old Albion Hotel was blown out. The force of the wind pushed the New schoolhouse over at least 18 in (46 cm), and it would be costly to make it secure again.
All business premises were closed.
A man was blown completely off his feet when coming round the point from Union Beach, and driven right across the road into the sea. He was knocked about and one of his hands was badly cut.
Heavy Rain
At times rain came down in torrents, but there was not a great flood.
Flooding
The telegraph office and Court house were flooded.
Maritime / Coastal
Some boats were smashed to pieces.
The schooner Mary was blown from her moorings and narrowly escaped wrecking on the rocks.
High Wind / Gust
at
Thames
Thames experienced strong winds, at times increasing to a violent gale, which increased in strength during the evening of the 5th. The weather moderated towards the night of the 6th.
Several windows were blown in and some verandahs and sign boards were damaged. In the Parawai gardens a large building was supposed to have been blown into the river and washed away, as nothing was left of it.
Four valuable cows were killed when a cow shed was blown over.
Heavy Rain
Heavy rain fell during the night of the 5th, showing no signs of abatement.
Maritime / Coastal
There were very squally seas at Thames.
The steamer Rowena from Auckland was delayed.
A man (about 35 years old) was drowned in the harbour at about 7:45pm on the 5th while heading to a ship at Curtis' wharf.
Multi Hazard
The cutter Lady Rath was hit by a tremendous squall, was much damaged and almost sunk. She dragged her anchors about 2 1/2 miles (4 km) during the night and the men spent all night pumping out water. The wind was so strong that the dinghy towed behind was blown right out of the water and twisted round in the air, and at times the captain could not stand on deck without holding on.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tokatea Hill
The force of the wind at Tokotea was simply awful and rain was driven in every crevice. It was the heaviest gale experienced for the last five years.
Two stores were almost gutted and one man lost part of the roof of his house.
Trees were scattered about and across roads.
References
- Headline: The gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 7 June 1979.
- Headline: The weather.
- The New Zealand Herald, 9 June 1979.
- Headline: Coromandel: The late gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 June 1879.
- Headline: Mahurangi: The gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 12 June 1979.
- Headline: Unknown.
- The Thames Advertiser, 6 June 1879.
- Headline: The gale on Thursday night.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: Southern telegrams: Coromandel.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: Special telegrams: The gale in Auckland.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: The late gale: Demasting of the 'Lady Rath'.
- The Thames Advertiser, 9 June 1879.
June 1879 Upper North Island High Winds ( 1879-06-04 )
High winds and seas caused damage in Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel. One man drowned in the harbour at Thames.
North Island
Flooding
at
North Island
Duration: 3 days - From the 4th till the 6th of June.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Marsden Point
The gale and high tide on the night of the 6th washed away another slice of Marsden Point.
A storeroom, containing goods and produce ready for shipment, was completely destroyed.
Auckland
High Wind / Gust
at
Auckland
The gale was felt all along the North and South shores of the harbour.
High Wind / Gust
at
Auckland City
A gale set in shortly after 12am on the 4th and increased steadily until the night of the 5th, when it blew with terrific force. A tremendous gale blew on the 6th.
The gale on the 5th and 6th was one of the most severe easterly gales in port for a considerable time.
Around 6pm on the 6th, a sudden gust of wind took the roof off a bedroom, blowing out the end and a portion of the front, smashing the bedstead, tables and other furniture. No-one was inside at the time.
The wind velocity for the 6th was 829m east.
Maritime / Coastal
There was a very heavy sea in the harbour.
Damage to shipping was insignificant, confined to a "mosquito fleet". At the Railway Wharf three boats were slightly damaged by bumping against the wharf on the afternoon of the 5th,a dn one also broke her boom. The cutter Mana ran into the German man-o'-war Albatross, and left her head gear behind.
One of the Ponsonby Rowing Club's sheds on the western side of Freeman's Bay Point was smashed by the force of the sea during the night. Three club boats outside the shed were also destroyed. Swinnerton's boat shed was gone to pieces.
The yacht Pearl broke from moorings, and a cutter disappeared on the 6th, with no traces found.
There were several narrow escapes from drowning while people were rescuing boats, but no serious injury.
At Niccol's ship yard, the storm smashed in one side of a cutter being repaired and two nearby boats were also damaged.
The tide washed 80 ft (24 m) up the street - the most serious encroachment of the tide yet experienced.
Shipping business was at a standstill all day on the 6th. Several coasting steamers were delayed in arriving.
Heavy Rain
On the night of the 5th the wind was accompanied by very heavy rain.
Auckland recorded 0.475 in (1.2 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 6th.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Cheltenham Beach
At Cobley's beach (Cheltenham Beach), huge banks of land were said to have been bodily shifted.
At Hay's ground, newly-erected fencing on the beach boundary was washed away. The adjoining property had two rows of pine trees completely washed away, and the length of the beach was strewn with timber.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mahurangi
During the 5th and the greater part of the 6th, the district was visited by one of the most severe south-easterly gales ever experienced. From noon on the 5th the gale increased and at night it blew a perfect hurricane. The gale began to lull on the evening of the 6th.
Heavy Rain
On the night fo the 5th the gale was accompanied by very heavy rain.
Maritime / Coastal
On the morning of the 6th the tide rose higher than had been known for many years.
Trees, logs, boats and firewood floated out with the tide.
Landslide
Considerable damage was done along the coast, with heavy landslips everywhere.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Northcote
The North Shore Rowing Club had a boat shed broken up, with half the woodwork washed away. The boats were rescued and dragged up the street to safety.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Stokes Point
At the Sulphur Works at Stoke's Point, some of the earthwork was washed away from the tramway at an exposed part.
High Wind / Gust
at
Waiwera
A terrific gale blew at Waiwera from the evening of the 4th.
Great damage was done to three properties.
The telegraph wire was broken in three places during the night of the 6th.
Maritime / Coastal
No steamer was able to call in for two days.
Waikato
High Wind / Gust
at
Coromandel
A terrific gale commenced to blow in Coromandel from the south-east on the morning of the 5th and continued with slight intermission until later on the 6th.
Immense damage was done to property - houses, ornamental trees and fences all being damaged. Two-thirds of all the neighbourhood fences were down. One of BNZ's large glass windows was blown several feet into a bank. Many iron chimneys were down and the top of a large brick one was carried away. Some large pines were uprooted.
Many sheds and outbuildings were wrecked and several small houses were destroyed. Part of the front of the Old Albion Hotel was blown out. The force of the wind pushed the New schoolhouse over at least 18 in (46 cm), and it would be costly to make it secure again.
All business premises were closed.
A man was blown completely off his feet when coming round the point from Union Beach, and driven right across the road into the sea. He was knocked about and one of his hands was badly cut.
Heavy Rain
At times rain came down in torrents, but there was not a great flood.
Flooding
The telegraph office and Court house were flooded.
Maritime / Coastal
Some boats were smashed to pieces.
The schooner Mary was blown from her moorings and narrowly escaped wrecking on the rocks.
High Wind / Gust
at
Thames
Thames experienced strong winds, at times increasing to a violent gale, which increased in strength during the evening of the 5th. The weather moderated towards the night of the 6th.
Several windows were blown in and some verandahs and sign boards were damaged. In the Parawai gardens a large building was supposed to have been blown into the river and washed away, as nothing was left of it.
Four valuable cows were killed when a cow shed was blown over.
Heavy Rain
Heavy rain fell during the night of the 5th, showing no signs of abatement.
Maritime / Coastal
There were very squally seas at Thames.
The steamer Rowena from Auckland was delayed.
A man (about 35 years old) was drowned in the harbour at about 7:45pm on the 5th while heading to a ship at Curtis' wharf.
Multi Hazard
The cutter Lady Rath was hit by a tremendous squall, was much damaged and almost sunk. She dragged her anchors about 2 1/2 miles (4 km) during the night and the men spent all night pumping out water. The wind was so strong that the dinghy towed behind was blown right out of the water and twisted round in the air, and at times the captain could not stand on deck without holding on.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tokatea Hill
The force of the wind at Tokotea was simply awful and rain was driven in every crevice. It was the heaviest gale experienced for the last five years.
Two stores were almost gutted and one man lost part of the roof of his house.
Trees were scattered about and across roads.
References
- Headline: The gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 7 June 1979.
- Headline: The weather.
- The New Zealand Herald, 9 June 1979.
- Headline: Coromandel: The late gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 June 1879.
- Headline: Mahurangi: The gale.
- The New Zealand Herald, 12 June 1979.
- Headline: Unknown.
- The Thames Advertiser, 6 June 1879.
- Headline: The gale on Thursday night.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: Southern telegrams: Coromandel.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: Special telegrams: The gale in Auckland.
- The Thames Advertiser, 7 June 1879.
- Headline: The late gale: Demasting of the 'Lady Rath'.
- The Thames Advertiser, 9 June 1879.